Religion

Although lot 64’s early settlers were a bit of a strange mix, many of them shared one thing: an English (of some sort) background. PEI has the most Celtic ancestry of any province in Canada,36. so the "English-ness" of lot 64 is definitely unusual.37. Naturally, this ancestry affected religious leanings in the area, and to this day there's no Catholic church in lot 64!

In the early days when there were few settlers, preachers travelled around the Island speaking in homes. In an 1876 survey,13. William Sencabaugh (the son of Loyalist William Sencabaugh) said that there were Wesleyan and Presbyterian preachers who would come around from time to time, and refers to a time when there were only two families in the area.When a few more people moved to Murray Harbour, James Irving hosted the preachers in his home.10. Most of Murray Harbour’s settlers were Methodist or Presbyterian, so those were the churches that were built in the area. The first church in lot 64 was a Methodist church built on the present site of the Murray Harbour South Cemetery. It was the first Methodist church on the island, and opened in August of 1815 with the first sermon of new minister John Hick.38. This church was yet another thing that the Cambridge’s, or more precisely John’s wife, Mary, helped to set-up in the community. It came about when the Lelacheurs decided to trade their land in Murray Harbour for land in Guernsey Cove; Mary convinced John to donate the land from the Harbour farm to build a church,3. and although John was a Quaker, Mary was Methodist, so he agreed to donate the land. The communities first Presbyterian church wasn't built until 1835, although there had been a congregation and a preacher (shared with Murray Harbour North) since 1822.38.